The following are the top stories in the Maltese and overseas press:
The Times says nurses have warned the government against appeasing consultants.
The Malta Independent reports that most businessmen have never heard of EU funds, according to the director-general of the GRTU. 68% were never tempted to seek EU funds.
In-Nazzjon reports that the government allocation to sports organisations has risen from €5.5 million to €8m this year. It also says that spending on health is higher than last year, despite Budget cutbacks.
l-orizzont says government spending was €50,000 over-budget in the first two months of this year. The over-spending was made by 33 government entities
The overseas press:
Pope Benedict XVI has held a vast outdoor mass for some 300,000 people as he wound up his trip to Mexico. Azteca TV says the pontiff called on Mexicans to purify their hearts so they could confront the evils of daily life and urged them to “boldly promote peace, harmony, justice and solidarity”. Benedict also called on Latin America's faithful to “rediscover the joy of being Christians”. The region has seen a drop in the number of people professing Catholicism, with the Church under growing criticism for its views on issues such as abortion or gay marriage. The Pope leaves Mexico later today for a visit to Cuba on "pilgrim of mercy" to mark the 400th anniversary of the discovery of the Virgin of Charity in El Cobre as the country's patron saint – the “mother of all Cubans, regardless of race, political affiliation or ideology”. He will meet also President Raul Castro.
Euronews quotes Russian President Dmitry Medvedev telling the UN and Arab League envoy to Syria, Kofi Anan, that his mission might be “the last chance for Syria to avoid a protracted bloody civil war”. Medvedev said Anan, who was in Moscow for meetings with Russia’s president and foreign minister, had Russia’s full support. He is now on his way to China, which with Russia has vetoed UN sanctions against Syria.
Asia Times says that as world leaders gather in South Korea for a nuclear summit, Barack Obama has warned North Korea of more sanctions if it went ahead with a rocket launch. Warning that it risked deepening its isolation in the international community, he said North Korea would “achieve nothing by threats or provocations”. He spoke following a private meeting with South Korean President Lee Myung-bak. Seoul and Washington say the launch will be a disguised test of a ballistic missile that violates Pyongyang's latest international commitments. Obama said the move would jeopardise a deal for the US to resume stalled food aid to the North.
Afghan Post reports that the US military has paid compensation to families of Afghans killed and injured in a rampage by an American soldier. The incident was a severe strain on already tense US-Afghan relations. Afghan government officials said that $50,000 (€37,700) had been paid for each Afghan killed and $11,000 (€8,300) for each injured. Afghan President Hamid Karzai had authorised compensation of more than $2,000 (€1,500) for each Afghan killed.
France 24 says thousands of people have taken part in a silent march against racism and anti-Semitism in Paris as an anti-terror court in the city read preliminary charges to Abdelkader Merah, the brother of Toulouse gunman Mohamed Merah. Abdelkader was placed in preventative custody as he is suspected of complicity to murder and involvement in a terrorist organisation. He claimed he had no knowledge of his brother's plans before he carried them out, but has said he was “proud” of what Mohamed had done.
In the UK, The Times reports that the Labour Party was demanding an independent inquiry into a Tory treasurer's boast that large donations to the party could secure access to the prime minister. Peter Cruddas quit as Tory co-treasurer after his claims, filmed by undercover Sunday Times reporters, were published. David Cameron has pledged to hold a party inquiry into the claims, which he described as “completely unacceptable”. But Labour leader Ed Miliband said that that was not good enough and a “proper independent investigation” was needed.
Le Soleil says thousands of people have taken to the streets of the Senegalese capital Dakar, chanting, dancing and hooting their horns, as President Wade admitted defeat in the presidential election. As results gave his rival an overwhelming lead, Wade called Macky Sall to congratulate him on his victory, which ends Wade's 12 years in power. Sall is a former prime minister who has promised to bring in measures to reduce the price of food. He was once a close political ally of Mr Wade but the two men had a falling out in 2008.
ABC reports Titanic director James Cameron has resurfaced after descending to the deepest part of the Pacific Ocean in an Australian-made solo submarine. The explorer and filmmaker reached a depth of 10,898 metres south of Japan, making him the first human to reach the undersea valley solo. He reached the bottom of the Mariana Trench – the so-called Challenger Deep – after a faster than expected 70-minute descent. He planned to spend up to six hours on the Pacific Ocean sea floor, collecting samples for scientific research and taking still photographs and 3D images that could help scientists better understand the unexplored part of the earth. Cameron, an avid explorer, already has 72 dives under his belt, including 12 to film Titanic.
At least 19 people have died and at least 30 others were injured after a bus plunged into a ravine in Algeria. Online newspaper TSA said the victims were between 17 and 58 years old. It said 19 died in the accident, and two others, including a pregnant woman, died en route to the hospital.
An Islamic marriage guide advising men on “the best ways” to beat their wives has sparked outrage in Britain, especially among moderate Muslims who said that it encouraged domestic violence. The Daily Mail reports that the 160-page book – “A Gift For Muslim Couples” – tells husbands that they should beat their wives with “hand or stick or pull her by the ears”. The book, however, also states that a husband should treat the wife “with kindness and love, even if she tends to be stupid and slow sometimes”.
The New York Post reports a baby boy has been found abandoned in the lobby of a New York City apartment building. A 60-year-old woman discovered the baby in the lobby of her Brooklyn apartment building as she was taking out her trash. The baby, believed to between two and three months old, was found in a car seat next to a black bag with diapers and formula inside. Police said the baby was in good health.